Grand Duke, Please Stop Obsessing Over Your Wife! - Chapter 27

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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27.

“What are you doing? Sticking your head into a flower pot.”

Puzzlement crossed the Duke’s languid face.

Annelize gulped.

This was a disaster.

‘Why does this man move without making any sound?’

“You were muttering curses rapidly at the flower pot.”

She absolutely couldn’t panic. Annelize calmly made up an excuse.

“It’s a stress-relief game that’s popular among the capital’s nobles these days.”

“What strange games they come up with.”

Thank goodness the Duke knew nothing about the capital’s social circles.

“This.”

The Duke lifted the flower pot with one hand.

The flower pot that Annelize had been supporting with both hands looked small in the Duke’s grasp.

“I finally went to the greenhouse today. This is a flower pot I borrowed from Sir Pamine.”

The Duke set down the flower pot with an uninterested expression.

“Something so withered and frail really resembles someone.”

“I’m not that bad, am I?”

“I didn’t say it was you.”

“Then why do you keep looking back and forth between me and the flower pot?”

The Duke looked at her and chuckled.

“If you don’t want to end up like that thing, you should eat properly.”

She pretended not to hear the Duke’s words.

“Don’t tell me it’s because the food doesn’t taste good?”

Tsk. The Duke clicked his tongue softly.

“Weak. Adding unnecessary meaning like taste to an act that should simply end with filling your stomach is asking for trouble.”

He must be saying this because he’s never eaten truly delicious food. How pitiful.

Annelize answered kindly, like a teacher instructing kindergarteners.

“Filling your stomach isn’t everything. Eating delicious food makes you feel good. It can boost your energy or calm your mind.”

“Food makes you feel good?”

“Of course. If it’s really delicious food, you keep thinking about it later. Even when you try to resist, you can’t help but reach for it. Some people even want it so badly they seek it out in their dreams.”

The Duke’s expression became strange.

“That sounds quite dangerous.”

“Of course, that’s only in really exceptional cases. You don’t need to worry.”

“Hmm.”

The Duke sitting on the sofa gestured to Annelize.

When she sat beside him as usual, the Duke shook his head.

“Today, why don’t you sit across from me.”

“Why? You always told me to sit next to you because it was easier to see me up close.”

“I’ve seen enough of your profile. Now it’s time to see your front view.”

“Ah… yes.”

What a demanding person.

‘At this rate, he might tell me to stand on the table so he can look up at me from below.’

Annelize glanced sideways at the Duke while holding her book open.

Even though she was always his subject of observation, his focused gaze was curious, as if he were observing something new.

‘How many days has this been going on now? It must be a week.’

The Duke was still following her around like an imprinted duckling following its mother.

Claiming he wanted to eliminate the strange feelings he experienced whenever he looked at Annelize.

She had worried he might even follow her to bed, but the Duke kept his promise about separate rooms.

‘It would probably be fine to sleep together anyway. There’s no worry about him laying a hand on me.’

Annelize habitually fidgeted with her left ring finger.

The first few times, she had looked at the pattern on her left ring finger with some hope.

Every time she looked, the pattern was perfectly intact without a single scratch.

‘He seems like someone with absolutely no interest in that sort of thing.’

Finally, Annelize had let go of her anxiety too.

‘Come to think of it, even the kiss was because of the vow, and he even waited for me to make the first move.’

Even sudden physical contact didn’t make her uncomfortable.

It wasn’t like he had the sticky intentions of other men. He was just inexperienced with relationships.

‘Who would believe it? That the Duke who kissed me at the birthday ballroom and someone who doesn’t know bread are the same person.’

Once her suspicion and discomfort passed, she began to notice things that hadn’t been visible before.

Like the fact that his hands were warm at just the right temperature.

Of course, this was purely objective, like evaluating a hand warmer or pillow, without any personal interest.

‘When I was held in his arms, it was incredibly soft. Maybe because I was enveloped by such a large, warm presence. I felt a strange sense of security.’

There seemed to be a nice scent too… She unconsciously gazed blankly at the Duke’s shoulder.

“You there.”

Annelize startled and blinked.

“What is it?”

“Isn’t it time to sleep?”

The clock hand was already approaching midnight.

The Duke hesitated for a moment instead of leaving as usual.

“Would it be alright if I stayed by your side until you fall asleep?”

“Do as you please.”

Soon another weight was added to the bed where Annelize lay.

She could feel the Duke’s gaze watching her profile.

Annelize tried to fall asleep for a while, lying still with her eyes closed.

‘Maybe it’s because someone’s next to me, but I can’t fall asleep easily.’

But she didn’t want to chase the Duke away either.

After thinking for a moment, Annelize turned to her side.

Her eyes met the Duke’s, who had been watching her under the dim moonlight.

“Your Highness. Are you going to keep watching me like that?”

“Why? Would you prefer I leave?”

“No. If you’re comfortable, I’d like to ask one favor.”

Annelize drew the Duke’s arm over her shoulder.

The Duke raised his eyebrows as if he didn’t understand.

His palm moved lightly up and down on Annelize’s shoulder.

“What is this? What kind of meaning does this action have?”

“It’s nothing special, but my father used to pat me like this when I was little. I thought it might work this time too.”

Annelize used to have particularly many nightmares as a child.

‘Strange thing is, I could never remember what they were about after waking up.’

On nights when she couldn’t sleep from fear, a few pats from her father would make her drift off to sleep.

“Should I tap with this much force? What should the speed be?”

“Just like you’re doing now is fine. Pat. Pat. Like this.”

When she gave him the rhythm verbally, the Duke began moving his hand to match her beat.

‘You don’t have to be so rigid and precise about it.’

The Duke’s arm, seen from the corner of her eye, was completely tense.

Her lips curved up at his efforts to control his strength somehow.

Seeing her trembling shoulders, the Duke scolded her.

“Don’t move. It makes it hard to control my strength.”

“Sor-ry. Ahem.”

“I’m serious. I could crush someone like you with one hand.”

“I’m sorry. Please don’t break me.”

“I’m trying.”

What could be so scary and frightening to the Duke?

He was just a fool who struggled with even the simple act of patting someone’s shoulder.

‘Does the Duke think of me as comfortably as I feel about him?’

Perhaps?

‘These days, the Duke doesn’t frown even when he looks at me with his bare eyes. Though he sometimes makes expressions like he finds me irritating and unbearable.’

Still, it was much better than before.

‘How admirable.’

Annelize asked playfully.

“It’s been several days since you stopped wearing sunglasses. Do I no longer sparkle?”

As if he had heard something ridiculous, the Duke answered firmly.

“No. You’re always sparkling. I’ve just gotten used to it.”

“It seemed that way. That’s a relief.”

“However… something seems different.”

The Duke’s hand wandered in the air before beginning to stroke her hair.

“In what way?”

The Duke couldn’t answer easily. His handsome brow furrowed.

“…It’s hard to explain.”

“Then please tell me when you can explain it. Take your time. You’re learning well, one step at a time.”

Annelize bid farewell to the Duke with a voice that hadn’t lost its cheerfulness.

“Have a peaceful night, Your Grace.”

“Yes.”

As the lamp was extinguished, darkness settled over the room.

‘The nameless plant in the flower pot too. Please grow healthy and strong throughout the night.’

Before closing her eyes, she also bid goodnight to the flower pot on the table.

* * *

The Duke rushed out of the room as soon as Annelize fell asleep.

If he stayed there any longer, he felt like he would lose his self-control.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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